This invention relates to an enclosure for electrical apparatus, and more particularly to an enclosure for the above ground splices or terminals of a buried cable installation.
Enclosures are commonly provided to shelter splices or terminal connections between service wires or distribution wires, and buried utility cables such as telephone cables. It is important that such enclosures be substantially weather-tight to protect the connections from adverse weather conditions, e.g., the entry of damaging wind and precipitation. Also, a buried cable terminal enclosure should be sufficiently resistant to unauthorized entry to inhibit, or at least discourage, vandals from gaining access to the electrical circuitry and for unauthorized service personnel from altering those connections or splices which are not within their scope of responsibility.
On the other hand, the enclosure should be capable of ready disassembly both at the time of its installation and when needed for authorized service to alter connections or install or remove wires, cables or other instrumentalities. Typically, the enclosure will be shipped to its site in an assembled condition and then disassembled for installation. The tasks of making the original splices and terminal connections, and later altering or making additional connections both require maximum access to the wires and cables. Consequently, the enclosure should impede access as little as possible. The resulting cross purposes of easy disassembly by authorized persons, but difficult disassembly by others, are fulfilled by the enclosure of this invention.
The typical enclosure construction heretofore featured a three-part housing in which upper and lower front cover members were connected to a long, one-piece rear housing member, all three members being essentially U-shaped so that a hollow interior is formed. Examples of existing forms of enclosures are found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,740,452 issued June 19, 1973 to Bunten; U.S. Pat. No. 3,796,820 issued Mar. 12, 1974 to Bunten; U.S. Pat. No. 3,864,510 issued Feb. 4, 1975 to Ramsey, Jr., et al; U.S. Pat. No. 3,868,474 issued Feb. 25, 1975 to Bunten; and U.S. Pat. Re. No. 27,746 issued Aug. 28, 1973 to Hamilton. Enclosures of this type are usually partially buried with the lower front cover member and the lower half of the rear housing member substantially below ground level. With the rear housing in place, the installer can work from one side only in making the necessary connections. This can prove particularly troublesome when large cable is being prepared for splicing and is being spliced.